Posted on 07/30/2004 3:24:53 AM PDT by kattracks
(CNSNews.com) - Sen. John F. Kerry's speech to the Democratic National Convention Thursday night was a "missed opportunity" and a "disappointment," the Washington Post said in a Friday editorial.
USA Today and The New York Times were kinder to the candidate, but those newspapers also faulted Kerry's speech for failing to clarify how he would lead the nation.
Kerry "sought above all to make the case that he could be trusted to lead a nation at war, and rightly so," the Washington Post editorial said. "But on that basis, though Mr. Kerry spoke confidently and eloquently, his speech was in many respects a disappointment."
According to the Washington Post, Kerry did not say anything about freeing the Afghan or Iraqi people, or helping either nation toward democracy; he didn't define "the job" still to be done in Iraq; and he didn't say that troops will be needed in Iraq for a long time.
"Instead, he chose words that seemed designed to give the impression that he could engineer a quick and painless exit," the Washington Post editorial said.
The newspaper also says Kerry missed an opportunity for "straight talk" on economics as well as national security. "His promises to stop the outsourcing of jobs and end dependence on Middle East oil are not grounded in reality," the Washington Post said.
'No clear vision'
Kerry's "best moments came on the attack," the New York Times said in its Friday editorial, which was entitled simply, "John Kerry Speaks."
According to the New York Times, America --by Thursday night --"was already pretty well aware that it is not going to fall in love with him."
The New York Times suggested that Kerry may be overplaying his "few months in service overseas" at the expense of ignoring other elements of his resume.
The newspaper said Kerry "did a good job of explaining how he'd fight the war on terror," but, the editorial added, "He did not provide a clear vision on Iraq."
The New York Times wants Kerry to tell voters, "that he understands, in retrospect, that his vote to give President Bush Congressional support to invade was a mistake."
The New York Times editorial called Kerry's promise to cut middle-class taxes "pure pandering, given his new spending proposals and commitment to balanced budgets."
USA Today opined that Sen. Kerry is leaving Boston "still not having formed in voters' minds an image of where he'd take the nation on its most urgent issues: the war on terrorism and resolving the mess that is the U.S. situation in Iraq."
His policies sound a lot like those of President Bush, the newspaper said.
According to USA Today, "the real question is what creative options Kerry sees both for stabilizing Iraq and for pursuing the broader confrontation with Islamic nationalism and its terrorist advocates."
The USA Today editorial concluded: "The nation is clearly open to new ideas. Kerry must show not only that he is a leader for a time of crisis, but tell us more about where he proposes to lead.""
I switched back and forth while channel surfing, catching a few seconds here and there. I agree. Glancing in, he appeared like a kid in trouble, trying to explain something. Even with the crowd cheering him on at the applause lines. In fact, he kept talking through the applause as though he didn't know when to pause and let the crowd adore him.
What the hell's the fuss with that? He'll just get two hangnails and nick himself shaving...Three purple hearts & he IS out, isn't he?
Business commentator on FoxNews this morning said Wallstreet is scared to death of a Kerry Presidency; that the overnite market indicators are down; he called Kerry a socialist.
E. D. Hill, this morning, listed all the tax cutting Kerry promised, all the new programs and new spending Kerry has promised, and the figures don't add up. There is no way he can deliver on these promises.
Either he is going to have to raise allot more taxes or cut/drop his programs. He can't have it both ways; the money pot just isn't that big; although he has promised both. a.k.a. Hoodwinking the American voters into electing him; then he can flop on the promises--and say "tuff".
[Clinton hoodwinked the public for 8 years, so it can be done.]
Of course he did. John Kerry is in the opposition. He can promise sunshine and rainbows and puppydogs forever and will not be required to tell us how. This is the advantage of the opposition in wartime.
The President, on the other hand, must promise us blood, toil, sweat and tears. He must deal in the world of reality. He will be required to explain how he will accomplish everything he says, because he is the President, and that is his job.
It is like John Edwards, promising on Wednesday night that, if elected, Kerry/Edwards will enact intelligence reforms to make sure another 9/11 never happens on in this country. This is obviously impossible and insulting on it's face, but Edwards will never be challenged on it. He is on the opposition ticket (and on the lightweight end of it, as that). It is not his job to explain how we get there from here.
However, if the President promised to make sure there was never another 9/11 in this country, he would be rightly ridiculed for promising the impossible. He has to live int he real world.
Earth to the New York Times ... Earth to the New York Times ...
J Effin Kerry hasn't got "other elements of his resume"!
Did you happen to see Susan Estrich bite E.D.'s head off over referring to Susan as a "democratic strategist?" I think Susan is very nervous about her candidate. Despite her high praise for Kerry, she seems to be whistling past the grave. Either that, or she's just a grouch by nature. More likely, it's both.
I cannot STAND Estriuch. Her whiny-a$$ voice leave NO DOUBT in my mind why she's a gay libretard. No "real" man would want to hang around that screecher-creature.
Democrats cannot be clear about anything because revealing what they are really about must be avoided.
They are about power, of course, only power. If you look for core convictions or straight talk in any of the speeches, you will not find it, heck, even the leftist media can't find it.
We are witnessing a train wreck.
I love the headline on today's Washington Post. It says "Kerry - America Can Do Better." Truer words were never spoken.
And as for Kerry "reporting for duty" - most of us are still wondering when he's going to report for duty on the job he now holds in Congress.
Let's remember that statement when the SP endorses Kerry for President later this year. There's not way they would endorse Bush.
He had to promise more of your money for the failed public schools because half the delegates were NEA slugs. He knew that would wake up the audience.
I didn't watch the speech...just excerpts rebroadcasted later...but what made JF'nK sweat like a pig? They should've cranked up the AC...but maybe they did and that's what made the balloons stay up!
Duh!! Talk about an understatement!
I saw that exchange.
Susan was even kind of hateful about it.
E. D. was caught off guard and probably was thinking, 'well ... what do you can't be called then? I didn't know "Democrat strategist" was a dirty word.'
Susan didn't say what she did want to be called. Then she made some critical remark about someone not getting 'her' information right.
Liberalism IS losing. You can say John F*ckin' paid conservatives the highest form of flattery by embracing THEIR ideas. I could almost be forgiven for thinking this was the GOP Convention. So maybe we are making converts on the Left! After all they lack confidence in who they are and in their philosophy.
It seems that most people think that Kerry's speech was pretty good but lacked any details. Its going to take about until Monday until the hate-America rants from the left come out after being stifled most of the week.
Let's leave the ridiculous Third Reich comparisons to the kooks on the left wing. Talk about the trivialization off Nazism. Hilterly. Cripes almighty...
Apparently Susan wants to be referred to as "Fox News Contributor"....though you and I both know, she's no "allstar." In fact, she's nothing but a party hack.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.